Tunneling
Often means the wick is underpowered, the first burn was too short, or the container is wider than the wick family likes.
Troubleshooting
Common candle burn problems and the small fixes that usually solve them.
Most wick problems repeat. The trick is reading the burn correctly before you change anything, because soot, tunneling, weak throw, and overheated jars can all come from different mistakes.
Mushrooming
Usually means the wick is too aggressive, the fragrance load is high, or the burn session keeps running long after the jar has reached full melt.
Weak hot throw
Can come from an underwicked candle that never reaches a healthy melt pool, but it can also happen when the wick is technically strong enough and the fragrance oil simply does not open well in that wax.
Hot jar or light soot
Often shows up after people overcorrect for tunneling. The flame looks better, then the glass starts running hotter than it should and the rim darkens.
| Symptom | Most likely cause | What to change next |
|---|---|---|
| Tunneling after two long burns | Wick too small for jar width or heavy fragrance load | Test one wick step up with the same wax and cure time. |
| Large mushroom cap | Wick too strong or trim too long between burns | Shorten the wick trim first, then retest a smaller size if needed. |
| Weak scent throw but no soot | Melt pool too shallow or oil not performing in that blend | Confirm full melt, then compare a second fragrance load before changing wax. |
| Very hot jar wall | Wick overpowered for the container | Drop one wick step and stop chasing an overly fast full melt pool. |
Keep one test notebook or one printable sheet for every batch. If you change the wick, fragrance load, jar, and cure time at once, the result tells you almost nothing.